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The Idolatry of Life Balance

June 24, 2024
By Mark Persson and Katie Levis

With blue skies, bright days, and the alluring message of growth, rest, and pleasure, summer always has our ear and tugs at our heart. Summer beckons us to believe we can finally get it right.

By the way, don’t you want perfect balance in your life? Aren’t you going to finally get summer right? We believe if we can get our work/vacation, rest/play, fun/faith, family/friends/me time balance right, that all will go well for us. This sounds like a modern idea, but the Apostle Paul engaged with a similar mindset when debating the Epicureans in Acts 17. They believed they could order their lives in such a way that pain would not be able to penetrate them. Our longings for life balance often have this same undertone. We want to control our world by increasing pleasure and eliminating pain. This posture puts us in the place of God, and this is idolatry.

So, what do we do?

Remember that you were created in God’s Image. That means we are beautifully made and quite complex. We are relational, intellectual, physical, spiritual, and emotional beings. So, pursuing health in these areas is a good and right endeavor. 
God has given us different gifts. Some of us are so relationally wired we never make time to engage our minds or exercise. Some of us exercise so much that we neglect time with the LORD. This means balance and health will look different for each of us this summer.
Remember that whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23).

Here are three initiatives happening this summer to pursue Gospel balance:

    1) Parents and families join the PTL Walk/Run a Mile with Jesus initiative. Look for an email with information on this!

    2) 7th-12 grade students join Fitness in July. We’ll be meeting at the school every Monday and Wednesday from 8:30-9:30 AM in July for prayer, connection, and a run/workout.

    3) And everyone, join with us as we journey through the book of Acts with a 75-day devotional!

Have a great summer.

Mark Persson and Katie Levis

Mark (Spiritual Director) and Katie (Athletic Director) collaborated on these 2 summer initiatives for Health and Wellness.

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